unbelief

unbelief: unbelief, disbelief, incredulity are comparable when they mean the attitude or state of mind of one who does not believe.

Unbelief stresses the lack or absence of belief especially in respect to something (as religious revelation) above and beyond one's personal experience or capacity

{
a sense of loss and unbelief such as one might feel to discover suddenly that some great force in nature had ceased to operate— Wolfe
}

{
if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out. . . Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief— Mk 9:23-24
}

Disbelief implies a positive rejection of what is stated or asserted

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a disbelief m ghosts and witches was one of the most prominent characteristics of skepticism in the seventeenth century— Lecky
}

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a disbeliever in aristocracy, he never perceived the implications of his disbelief where education was concerned— Russell
}

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comprehension flooded Maria's mind, followed by a sort of stupefying disbelief— Hervey
}

Incredulity implies indisposition to believe or, more often, a skeptical frame of mind

{
there is a vulgar incredulity, which . . . finds it easier to doubt than to examine— Scott
}

{
was looking interestedly around . . . when suddenly he started forward . . . and in an instant, his face seemed suddenly to go ashen with bitter incredulity— Terry Southern
}

Analogous words: *uncertainty, doubt, dubiety, dubiosity, skepticism

Antonyms: belief

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Synonyms:

Incredulity, distrust, want of belief, doubt / Scepticism, infidelity, disbelief, free-thinking, refusal to believe

Look at other dictionaries:

Unbelief — Un be*lief , n. [Pref. un not + belief: cf. AS. ungele[ a]fa.] 1. The withholding of belief; doubt; incredulity; skepticism. [1913 Webster] 2. Disbelief; especially, disbelief of divine revelation, or in a divine providence or scheme of… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
unbelief — [un΄bə lēf′] n. [ME unbeleve] a withholding or lack of belief, esp. in religion or in certain religious doctrines SYN. UNBELIEF implies merely a lack of belief, as because of insufficient evidence, esp. in matters of religion or faith; DISBELIEF… … English World dictionary
unbelief — index cloud (suspicion), doubt (suspicion), suspicion (mistrust) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
unbelief — (n.) mid 12c., absence or lack of religious belief, from UN (Cf. un ) (1) not + BELIEF (Cf. belief) … Etymology dictionary
Unbelief — (Roget s Thesaurus) Doubt. < N PARAG:Unbelief >N GRP: N 1 Sgm: N 1 unbelief unbelief disbelief misbelief Sgm: N 1 discredit discredit miscreance Sgm: N 1 infidelity infidelity &c.(irreligion) 989 Sgm: N 1 dissent dissent … English dictionary for students
unbelief — I (Roget s IV) n. Syn. disbelief, doubt, skepticism, incredulity, uncertainty, agnosticism; see also doubt 1 , uncertainty 1 . Syn. unbelief implies merely a lack of belief, as because of insufficient evidence, esp. in matters of religion or… … English dictionary for students
unbelief — noun Date: 12th century incredulity or skepticism especially in matters of religious faith … New Collegiate Dictionary
unbelief — /un bi leef /, n. the state or quality of not believing; incredulity or skepticism, esp. in matters of doctrine or religious faith. [1125 75; ME unbelefe; see UN 1, BELIEF] * * * … Universalium
unbelief — noun /ʌnbɪˈliːf/ A lack (or rejection) of belief, especially religious belief And he coulde there shewe no myracles butt leyd his hondes apon a feawe sicke foolke and healed them. And he merveyled at their unbelefe … Wiktionary
unbelief — Synonyms and related words: apprehension, atheism, disbelief, distrust, doubt, dubiety, faithlessness, gentilism, incredulity, infidelity, minimifidianism, misgiving, mistrust, nullifidianism, qualm, secularism, skepticism, suspicion,… … Moby Thesaurus

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